ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis police sources confirmed that a large amount of money, possibly more than $40,000, was stolen from an evidence vault.

The theft -- the second within the police department this year -- occurred in the property-custody room in the basement of St. Louis Police Headquarters, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Monday.

Lt. Col. Roy Joachimstaler, chief of detectives, confirmed that internal and criminal investigations were under way into the disappearance of the money. He said he couldn't estimate the amount of money missing but police sources with knowledge of the case told the Post-Dispatch it was approximately $40,000.

"It's devastating to me and the personnel and supervisors within the bureau of investigation that a criminal act occurred on our watch," Joachimstaler said.

"Even the hint of tarnish to the badge on the chest I take very, very seriously," he said. "We're working to put whoever did this in the penitentiary."

He told the Post-Disptch the money, which came from evidence envelopes that had been slit open, may have been taken as long ago as 2003.